Story 5 – The Opioid Crisis

More than 1,000 Canadians died from opioid overdoses in the first three months of 2018, raising the total to more than 8,000 since January 2016. Research from the Angus Reid Institute at the beginning of this year found that one-quarter of Canadians felt the opioid epidemic was a ‘crisis’, while another 42 per cent characterized it as a ‘serious problem’ for the country. This study also found that one-in-eight residents have family or close friends who faced opioid addiction.